Mandy’s Performance Quality Scale – A+
On March 26th, 2009 The So So Glos and pals Alma Mater landed at Pomona College. At approximately 8 pm out on The South Lawn, they put on one of the best live shows I have ever seen at the Claremont Colleges.
Despite the size of the crowd, both bands played with enough enthusiasm for a crowd 50 times as large. Alma Mater was up first. Felipe, Karin and Fonzie, an Orange County guitar-bass-drums outfit, woke any sleeping students up with their fast paced, often gritty, punk music. By the end of the set, singer Fonzie had lost his voice, but was in high spirits for the So So Glos performance to come. The So So Glos took the stage with smiles and kind words for the students who made it out and promised us a good show; they did not fail to deliver. So So Glos singer, Alex Levine, commanded the attention of a crowd only a couple years younger than himself, beckoning us closer to the band. We came closer. We danced, we moshed and we were merry. After an hour of non-stop energy, the show was over and the bands and KSPC livesound crew gathered the instruments and rolled everything down to our lovely basement. We locked up, called it a night then returned in the morning, ready for an equally as epic in-studio.
The So So Glos asked the livesound crew to participate with hand claps and cheering, making the in-studio not just a performance but an interactive experience. Alma Mater played three solid songs, this time with Felipe on vocals and the KSPC basement was as lively as I have ever seen it on a Saturday afternoon. Exhausted and filled with Challah, The bands and I sat down for an interview, which resulted in some particularly hilarious anecdotes. All in All, we had a great weekend, and the So So Glos and Alma Mater are welcome to take over anytime they want.
-DJ Mandy Manray
photo credit: Rachel Smith